The Snapshot听
Backed by a $2.5-million grant from听, the Building Bridges research project, led by 新澳门六合彩开奖, is hardwiring the AI revolution and the ocean sector by empowering researchers and industry with new digital tools to gather, analyze and share data.听
The Challenge听
Traditionally, when ocean researchers want to study how mussel populations change over time it involves hip waders and slogging through tidal waters, counting molluscs and jotting notes 鈥� again and again, rain or shine. It鈥檚 difficult and time-consuming work, but the insights the data provide make it invaluable.听
A barometer of ocean听health, changes in how these super sensitive shellfish gather on rocks provide important information about their evolving ecosystems and the impacts of climate change. It can also help Canadian mussel farmers, who produced over 20,000 tonnes of the shellfish each year, to understand how best to build the industry on the country鈥檚 coasts. 听
Tidal pools off the coast of B.C. (Hakai Institute photo)
鈥淲e have an intertidal mapping program where researchers are out in the field, they're measuring, they're counting, they're kneeling down and looking at individual pieces. But they can only get to so many places, it's dangerous. We're out on the West Coast with steep rocky shores. And some of the places we can't even get to,鈥� says Will McInnes, a Geographic Information System specialist at British Columbia-based听.听
Hakai is one of 新澳门六合彩开奖鈥檚 six ocean research partners in the Building Bridges research project. Led by Dal and supported by a $2.5-million grant from Canada鈥檚 Ocean Supercluster, the听endeavour听aims to maximize the impact of ocean research with artificial intelligence (AI).听
Dal data scientist Dr. Mike Smit, the project's principal investigator, emphasizes the urgent need for AI to empower ocean researchers in their fieldwork and to ensure the data they gather has as much impact as possible.
Dal鈥檚 Dr. Mike Smit leads the Building Bridges project. (Cody Turner photo)
鈥淓very piece of data has potential value to us. If that data sits locked in a desk drawer, filing cabinet or hard drive, it鈥檚 not bringing benefits to Canadians that it should be. AI can ease the data gathering process and dramatically increase our ability to share, analyse and learn from it,鈥� he says.
The Solution听
Ushering the AI revolution into Canada鈥檚 ocean economy will require a new generation of professionals who understand the fast-evolving digital tools and how they can be applied to better understand the waters that surround us, says Dr. Smit.听
鈥淲e've seen